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Topic: colors to paint (Read 2159 times)

For my first hive and supers I painted them white. I have some porch enamels and exterior house paints I'd like to use up and am wondering if I should use the dark colors, like battleship gray or brick red. The thought is dark colors may create unnecessary summer heat here in FLA. Is this a consideration?

I tried spar varnish on 2 premium grade nucs and they came out looking really nice. The other boxes are commercial grade and the wood was milled pretty rough, with a lot of bark filled knots. So those I decided to paint those. Anybody use varnish?

If you still have some white paint that is the same type as the darker colors you can mix them to make it a little lighter. I did this with some dark blue I bought from Lowe's messed up colors selection. It worked out great, nice light blue. Just make sure you are not mixing oil based with water based ....

Yep mistints in paints we know a few that paint their hives with it around here. :-D They have some of the prettiest pastel colored hives ever. :-D I feel the different colored boxes also help cut down in drifitng bees too. They reconize their pretty house better. I may be stupid in that but I still think that.

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Without Thomas Edison & Alexander Graham Bell we wouldn't have the graveyard shift or Telemarketers. So how do you like them now?

Typically bright red and orange will attract drifting bees if used in the brood chambers, especially after moving or unwrapping. Using yellow, blue, black, and white aid the bees with orientation. If you're not fond of white, Tremclad aluminum makes a nice looking box that will reflect the heat. I typically keep my brood chambers pastel 'cool' colors. As for my honey supers, anything goes :-D .

If white does not suit you then pastels are the next best thing. I try to stay away from the red spectrum as that starts to leave their visual spectrum and becomes like grays and blacks. I like to go to the other end, blues, greens etc. as that is better differentiated by insects.Steve

i agree with both the lighter colors and the oops paint. another consideration might be whether or not you need your hives to blend into surrounds.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

I like the bull frog green color, But I use any other light color.Latex exterior flat. drys quick and can put 3 coats on in the same day.First time I use three coats, then as soon as they start showing signs of weathering, 2 or 3 yrs. one or two coats.I also try to use (spell check) when I think about it. :-D :)doak